Just Give Me A Reason
by Avengingdemigod
Summary: Clary and Jace unexpectedly meet when they sing a duet together. Later, they find that despite their immediate chemistry, their differences threaten to tear them apart.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! I was getting writer's block on the other one, so I decided to start this one because it had been in my head for a while.**

"Right from the start, you were a thief, you stole my heart.." sang Clary, dancing around her bedroom. She pulled her hairbrush out of her hair to pose in front of the mirror as she sang on, attempting to banish her nerves. She had a voice lesson in two hours with her strict private lessons teacher, and an audition the next day. Hopefully, she wouldn't mess either of them up-the way she normally did with everything.

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough, just one second we're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again," she continued, vibratoing slightly and squeezing her eyes through the high notes. She smiled as her voice trailed to pianissimo, having landed the notes perfectly. She opened her mouth to begin the next verses of the song (the guy's part, which she always hated to sing)...when she heard the melody and lyrics through her window, sung by an unfamiliar voice. Surprised, she peeked downward, not expecting to find anyone there. The neighbors next door had moved out a couple weeks ago, and she hadn't seen anyone move in since.

But there was a guy, probably around her age, lying down in the grass (grass that was _technically_ her lawn and not his), continuing the song. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful, almost like he was asleep if not for the movement of his mouth. Clary quickly pulled her head back inside her room and pretended she hadn't seen him, feeling flustered for some reason. But the strange boy kept singing, so when the chorus came, she joined in with his, harmonizing with his melody. Finally, the song ended and she poked her head out again, feeling braver now that she'd sung with him. Which, she realized, she'd never done before, and was a little confused with herself as to why she'd done it just then.

His eyes were open this time, and even from the high up view from her window, Clary was immediately arrested by his wide golden eyes. "Hey," she offered weakly, somehow feeling off-kilter.

"Hey," answered the boy back. "Come down here."

Clary was surprised at the suggestion, and her face must have shown it. The boy laughed. "I swear I'm not a stalker or anything," he said teasingly. "I'm new to the neighborhood."

Clary felt herself blush the same color as her hair, and knew he could probably see it too. "Well, okay," she said uncertainly, more to herself than to him. "I'm coming down."

She walked out of her room, bumping into her mother. "Where are you going, sweetie?" her mother asked absentmindedly.

"Oh, just outside," Clary said quickly, praying her mother wouldn't choose this particular time to act like a mom. Luckily, Jocelyn Fairchild nodded, smiling down at her daughter. "Alright, you have fun then."

"Uh-huh," muttered Clary, already sliding past. She paused at the stairwell and clambered onto the banister, quickly sliding down, grinning. She jumped off just as the doorbell rang.

Smoothing her skirt down, Clary turned the doorknob and had just opened her mouth to call for her mother (expecting a delivery man or something; certainly not someone for her) when she realized it was the boy from next door.

"Oh. Hi," she said shyly, a little less brave now that he was standing right in front of her, absorbing her appearance with those tawny golden eyes.

"Hi," he replied, blushing as well. "Um. I'm Jace. Jace Herondale. Uh, my family just moved into the house next to yours."

"I'm Clary. I..didn't realize anyone had moved in."

"Yeah, we didn't have movers, because um….well, we didn't come with a whole lot of stuff."

Clary realized they were just standing in the doorway, so she stepped out. The front porch had a small table and a couple chairs, and she led him over there. "Do you want some lemonade, or something?" she asked, trying to be a polite host like her mother would've wanted.

"Sure, lemonade would be great," Jace answered, smiling at her in a way that made her face feel like fire.

"I'll just..um, I'll just go get that then," she mumbled, smiling back involuntarily.

She hurried into the kitchen and grabbed two cups and the lemonade, hardly daring to believe what was happening. She, Clary Fairchild, shy shrinking violet (as her mother affectionately called her), was having a conversation with a guy she'd just met who was living next door. Even better, she hadn't yet said anything to completely embarrass herself.

She came back outside, where Jace was relaxing in one of the chairs and admiring the artwork hung in the porch. It was the best area for the paintings to dry, and she couldn't help but notice that he seemed intent on one of her best paintings.

"Thanks," he said, accepting a cup of lemonade, still focused on the artwork hanging around him. "Where did you get all these pieces from? They must've cost a million dollars."

"Oh, we didn't buy them," Clary said. "My mom and I, we painted them."

"What?" Jace turned towards Clary, disbelief written over his face. "These? You guys made them? They look professional."

"Thanks," Clary said, quietly proud of his clear admiration. "My mom did most of them, but I did a couple." She pointed out the one with the sailboat and sunrise and her favorite, a shimmering gold symbol set against a watercolor backdrop. She didn't know exactly what it meant, having looked it up numerous times and finding no associated language, but every time she looked at it, she felt power and confidence flowing into her. Something she needed, just about then.

"What does it mean?" Jace asked, pointing to the same painting she'd been thinking about.

"I don't really know," Clary confessed. "I just drew it. Like, my hand guided me or something."

"Wow." Jace sounded awed. "A singer _and_ an amazing artist? Is there anything you can't do?"

Clary just could _not_ seem to stop flushing. "I mean, I'm a pretty terrible cook," she offered, sitting down in the chair next to him. "Trust me, my mom has tried to teach me. It never ends well."

Jace raised a single eyebrow, something Clary was instantly jealous of. "Cooking's not so hard," he said. "I mean, I can make macaroni and cheese."

Clary laughed. Jace looked pleased. "Last time I tried that, I nearly burned the house down, because I lost track of time and didn't turn the stove off."

"Huh," Jace said thoughtfully. "I wouldn't have taken you for the absent-minded type."

Clary shrugged. "Sometimes I get caught up in other things, maybe a little too easily," she admitted. "I think that time, I was too busy singing to my cat."

This time, Jace laughed, a warm sound that pleased Clary. "You have a cat? Lucky," Jace said enviously. "I've always wanted a pet, but my...parents always said no."

Clary raised her eyebrows at the pause, but from the look on Jace's face, he didn't want to talk about it. So instead she merely inquired, "So, are you a cat or dog person?"

"Dog, definitely," Jace said, eyes lighting up. "I've always loved them. You wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

"No," Clary said. "But I do have a very ornery cat. I named him Sammy."

"Why Sammy?" asked Jace curiously.

"Oh, because he likes salmon. He's also a little orangey, like salmon. So my eight-year old brain thought it would be a good idea to call a cat Salmon. Luckily, my mom talked me out of it and we agreed on Sammy."

"Sammy the Salmon Lover," mused Jace. "You're a funny girl, Clary. Is that name short for anything?"

"Yeah, actually," Clary said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. She was a _funny girl_? What was that supposed to mean? "My full name is Clarissa, named after my great-grandmother. But I prefer Clary."

"Why's that?" Clary wondered if Jace was interrogating her on purpose.

"I don't know," Clary said, shrugging. "Clarissa always seemed...too stuffy and serious. More grown-up, I guess." She paused. "What about you? Is Jace short for anything?"

"Nah," Jace said, shrugging. "I've kinda always wanted a nickname, but Jace is too short to make a nickname out of."

"How about just J," Clary suggested, grinning. "Or Ace?"

Jace shuddered. "Ace? No, Izzy would relentlessly tease me."

"Izzy?" asked Clary, trying to sound nonchalant. _Of course_ a guy who looked like that would have a girlfriend.

"My sister," Jace explained, smiling at her. "She's a little younger than me, but she's pretty fierce and scary. And pretty quick to make fun of me in any way possible."

Clary laughed. "Sounds like fun."

"Oh, you have no idea," Jace assured her. "This whole trip up, we spent arguing basically every five minutes. It drove Alec _crazy_."

"Brother?" Clary guessed.

Jace nodded. "Yeah, and he's a couple years older than me." He rolled his eyes. "Like he rubs in with his 'mature' behavior", putting air quotes around mature.

"So you have two siblings?" asked Clary, feeling a little like the interrogator now.

"Yup." Jace nodded. And even though he complained about them, Clary noticed how his eyes smiled when he mentioned them. "What about you? Any siblings?  
"No," Clary answered. "I wish, but no. It's just my mom and me."

Clary could tell Jace wanted to ask about her father, but refrained, something Clary was grateful for. How could she explain what her mother always told her-that her father was actually a criminal who'd stolen from a big corporation? She didn't want to change in Jace's view, the way she knew she would if he found out. Besides, they'd just met. Jace, sensing the same thing, changed the topic. "So, how'd you learn to sing like that?" he asked her, smiling faintly. "You sounded...well, really good."

"Thanks," Clary said, embarrassed but proud. "I've always loved to sing, and I started taking voice lessons last year. I'm auditioning for a musical tomorrow."

"Cool," Jace said. "A school musical?"

"Yeah," Clary said, nodding. " _Cinderella,_ by Rodgers and Hammerstein."

"Auditioning for Cinderella?" Jace said, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Dear God, no," Clary said, shaking her head. Jace looked surprised. "No, I'm

auditioning for the fairy godmother."

"Why not Cinderella?"

"I'm just not confident enough to be onstage the whole time. And Cinderella always seemed so boring to me. Weeping about being pushed around by her stepmother, until she gets dressed up and saved from poverty by the prince. I don't know, I feel like I'd be more likely to run away from home before that."

"Huh," Jace said. "I never thought about that. I remember thinking she was pretty, though. Like you." He peeked at her from under lowered lashes, a move that had probably ensnared hundreds of girls before.

Clary was _burning_ up, even when she told herself not to fall for it. "Um. Thanks. Well, I don't really look like Cinderella," she said, gesturing to her hair. "I mean, unruly red hair and green eyes don't match her whole blond-hair-blue-eyes thing."

Jace shrugged. "Well, we're going into school tomorrow. Are the auditions open for other people to see?"

"Uh, yeah. But you don't want to see me audition."

"Why not?"

"It's not going to be good. I was going to spend the rest of today trying to get over my stage fright, and hopefully be just ready enough tomorrow to puke before I get on the stage instead of on the stage." Clary winced, remembering her last audition. "Yeah, it usually doesn't go so well."

"I'll be your lucky charm, then," Jace suggested. "You wouldn't throw up in front of me, now would you?"

Clary threw him a side glance. "You'd be surprised."

"Jace!" called out a voice from the other house. "Where are you?"

"That's me," Jace said, hopping up. "I've avoided unpacking this long, but I guess I'm not lucky enough. It was nice to meet you, Clary," he added, grinning at her.

"Nice to meet you, too," Clary said, right before another, deeper voice bellowed, "Jace! Come on, you gotta help!"

"Thanks for the lemonade, too," Jace said, looking back over his shoulder before he headed out. And was it just her imagination, or did his eyes linger on hers for just slightly longer than necessary? Clary shook her head. The heat must've been getting to her.

Once Jace had left, Clary ran upstairs, flopping onto her bed. She had a cute neighbor, she'd actually had a fun conversation with said neighbor, and she hadn't said anything _too_ cringey. Things were looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ready for this?" asked her mother the next morning, brushing red hair out of her eyes. "Come on, you'll rock this. Even Mrs. Dorothea said that, and she doesn't give out compliments often."

"No, Mom," Clary corrected, eyes squeezed shut. "She said, 'I suppose that's alright,' which is _entirely_ different."

"Oh, whatever," Jocelyn said. "She doesn't compliment you enough. Well, _I_ know you'll rock this. Doesn't my opinion count for something? Now come on, get out of the car."

Clary opened her eyes. "Am I green yet? Because I feel like I'm about to be sick."

Jocelyn hesitated, then shook her head. "Shoo. Go blow them all away. Or else I'll chase you in there myself."

Clary noticed her mother said nothing about the color of her skin. _Great_ , Clary thought to herself. _Now I'll look like a Christmas ornament: green and red._

Shuddering, Clary unbuckled herself and hefted her backpack out of the backseat. "Fine, I'll go. But don't expect anything. If you get a call later that I've fainted, that'll be your fault." She kissed her mother on the cheek quickly, then jumped out of the car to join the throngs of people waiting by the school doors.

"Good luck!" she heard her mother call.

"I'll need it!" she shouted back without turning around.

She caught sight of Simon, who was waiting by their usual spot. Strangely, he was talking to a girl. A very pretty girl, with dark hair and eyes. Simon was clearly blushing and stuttering and completely out of his league, so Clary headed over quickly to save him.

"Hey," she greeted Simon. "What's up?"

"Hi, Clary," Simon said distractedly. "Um, this is Isabelle. She's new here."

"Cool," Clary said, nodding. "What grade?"

"Junior," answered Isabelle. She smiled. "Just like you guys, according to Simon."

Someone came up behind Isabelle and she squealed, turning around. Clary couldn't see who it was at first, but she could tell it was a guy. She snuck a glance at Simon, who looked like he'd been sucker-punched. Luckily, he straightened his glasses and tried to look casual before Isabelle turned around again.

"Guys, this is my brother Jace," Isabelle introduced. Clary felt her cheeks color ( _why did that keep happening?_ ) when her eyes landed on a familiar face. "And this is Simon and Clary. Just met them."

"Yeah, we've met," said Jace easily, smiling at her. "Yesterday. She's our neighbor."

Isabelle and Simon both gaped at them. Clary shrugged, ignoring Simon's look of betrayal. "Yeah. I didn't know Isabelle was Izzy, though." _Plus, you guys look nothing alike_ , she added silently. If she were to draw her two new neighbors as animals, she decided, Jace would be a golden lion with a fiery mane. And Isabelle would be a black cat. They didn't look like siblings at all.

" _This_ is Clary?" Isabelle said, sounding astonished. Clary flushed.

"Yes, this is Clary," Jace replied easily. "Any other questions, Izzy?"

Isabelle glanced at Clary again. "No," she said slowly. Then, as though realizing her rudeness, she gave Clary a wide smile. "Jace mentioned you."

Just then, the bell rang and the flood of students began to push into the school. Clary followed Simon to his locker like normal, noticing that Isabelle and Jace followed behind. "So," she said, trying to make conversation. "Do you guys know your way around the school, or no?"

"We've never been in here," Jace admitted.

"Well, what classes do you have?" Clary took their schedules and compared them to her own, trying to ignore the hopeful thumping of her heart.

They reached Simon's locker, and he pulled it open, dropping a few of his books in the process-clumsy even for Simon. Clary ignored him and handed the schedules back to Jace and Isabelle.

"Well, I have Chem and Concert Choir with you, Jace, and French and study hall with Isabelle," she said, smiling. "Simon has French with us, too, and I'm pretty sure he has Math with you, Isabelle."

"You know his schedule?" asked Jace.

"Not all of it, just some of it," Clary answered, nodding. "But how did you get into Concert Choir? It's the highest group."

Jace shrugged. "When I mentioned I wanted to do Choir, they asked if I wanted to audition. So I said yes, and I guess they liked what they heard." The corners of his mouth tugged up.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "The only thing Jace is modest about is his singing. He's actually, you know, not the worst singer I've ever heard."

Jace looked surprised. "Izzy? Can you say that again? Did I just hear... an almost compliment?"

Isabelle punched him in the shoulder. "Oh, shut up."

Their easy banter made Clary wish for a sibling. She glanced at Simon, smiling. He was the closest thing she had to one-she sometimes liked to joke that he was the brother she never wanted.

The first warning bell rang. "Oh shoot," Clary said. "Well, I have study hall first, so I've gotta get to the cafeteria. Do you guys need help figuring out where everything is?"

The siblings shared a look, something Clary couldn't decipher. "If you wouldn't mind," Jace said finally. "I mean, I kinda have no clue where Mrs. Hubermann's classroom is."

"Yeah, sure," Clary said. "That's actually kind of on the way to the cafeteria. I can show you guys where that is."

"I share that class with Jace, so I'll tag along," said Isabelle. "Come on." She looped arms with Clary. That surprised Clary (after all, she'd _just_ met Isabelle), but she went along with it.

"Bye, Si," Clary called behind.

"Bye," Isabelle echoed. Simon nodded. "See you guys."

Jace walked next to Clary, sandwiching her between them. Though Clary was completely unused to this amount of social interaction, she couldn't help but feel warm that they'd chosen her and seemed to have immediately taken a liking to her. She also felt a little smug as she passed by her classmates, who stared at her new companions. _This is nicer than being invisible_ , she thought wryly.

"So, where'd you guys move from?" Clary asked.

"We came from New York," answered Isabelle. A cloud seemed to pass over her pretty face as she thought of it. "Lived there my whole life."

"Why'd you move?" Clary said, curious. She'd only moved once, as a baby, and could barely remember her old house. But Isabelle seemed truly sad to have left.

"Dad's work, and stuff," said Isabelle, waving a hand airily. Her sadness disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Are you guys, like twins or something? Because I noticed that you're both juniors, like me," Clary said, curious about their ages. And hadn't Jace mentioned something about Isabelle being younger.

Isabelle laughed. "I wish. Then I could read his mind to find out exactly how to annoy him."

"You already do," muttered Jace.

Ignoring the interruption, Isabelle continued. "Jace is actually adopted. When you see my other brother, you'll see. We all look alike and then there's Jace, just looking weird."

Clary giggled. "Well, I didn't think you guys looked similar. That's why I was curious."

Isabelle gave her a mock shocked look, opening her eyes wide. "You didn't think we looked alike? What, with my dark hair and eyes and his whole golden boy persona," she said sarcastically. Then she smiled. "Yeah, we get that a lot."

Jace, who'd stayed relatively quiet, spoke up. "So, Clary," he started. "When's your play audition?"

Clary blinked. She'd somehow completely forgotten about it. "During lunch or Concert Choir," she answered. "Depending on when Ms. Gruyer wants to do them."

"You're doing the play?" asked Isabelle. "What is it?"

"Cinderella," replied Jace, before Clary could. "I'm thinking of auditioning, or at least asking about it."

Isabelle smirked. "You're definitely dramatic enough to be in one."

Jace gave her a look. "Please," he said. "If anyone in our family is dramatic, it's you. I pale in comparison."

"If _that_ wasn't dramatic, I don't know what is," drawled Isabelle. Clary laughed. "See? She's agreeing with me."

Jace rolled her eyes. "Just because someone laughs doesn't mean they agree. Right, Clary?"

"Oh, would you look at that," Clary said, ostensibly avoiding the question. "Here's Mrs. Hubermann's class."

"Ha!" Isabelle said triumphantly.

"That doesn't prove anything," Jace protested. " _Right,_ Clary?"

"Have fun!" Clary said, giggling at Isabelle's mock warning glare. She headed outside into the hallway, walking quickly to the cafeteria. She noticed that the looks she got from her classmates had decreased, but she was still pretty sure some of the whispers around her were about her.

Clary felt the urge to hide inside her hoodie and put her head down, like she normally would've. But for some reason, Isabelle popped into her brain. Clary already could tell that Isabelle would never cowered away from stares, and Isabelle was exactly the type of girl that Clary had always wished to be. So she pushed her shoulders back and walked straight ahead, feigning confidence. It felt terrifying-but also empowering. _Huh_ , she thought. _Is this how confident people do it?_ Just this simple act of walking like she didn't care about the glares and curious glances felt….life-changing. Already, she wondered what else was going to change in her life, now that these siblings had landed in it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I changed the role that Clary auditions for from fairy godmother to a stepsister (who's not that evil in the musical version!)**

Clary coughed into her sandwich, trying to hide a grin. She was at lunch with Simon, Isabelle, and Jace. Normally, she and Simon didn't sit outside, but Isabelle convinced them that it was a nice enough day. And Clary had to admit, it was refreshing to be outside the school doors in the sunlight. Jace nudged her foot, also concealing a grin. Isabelle was _clearly_ flirting with Simon, who was completely oblivious. Watching the two of them was like watching a sitcom, making Clary cringe and laugh simultaneously.

Simon glanced over, a bemused expression on his face. "What's so funny?" he asked, coloring a little.

Clary quickly wiped the smile off her face and sat up straight. "Nothing," she promised, keeping her eyes off \of Jace, who was sure to make her double over laughing. She nudged his foot back. "Nothing at all."

Simon shrugged and went back to talking to Isabelle about Vampires and Werewolves, some new game he'd gotten. Jace and Clary shared a secret smile, the latter who couldn't help but notice the gold in his eyes was even more pronounced in direct sunlight.

"Are you ready for your audition?" asked Jace, bringing Clary out of her thoughts.

She lifted a shoulder. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess. I have bad experiences with stage fright, though, so who knows what'll happen."

Jace shook his head. "Nah, you'll be great. I've heard you sing."

Clary ducked her head, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Thanks. But, you know, it's about stage presence and lines and stuff too."

Jace shrugged lazily. "Who cares about that stuff? That's the easy part. But landing all the notes and the dancing, that's the hard part."

Clary glanced up at him. "Easier said than done."

"Come on," he said teasingly. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "Um, you know, I could just forget all my lines and stand there like a mute fish with _everyone_ watching me, and then miss all the cues. Then when I run out, I knock over the biggest prop and have it come crashing down on me."

Jace stared at her. "Oh, so you haven't over-thought this or anything, right?"

Clary laughed haltingly. "Oh, no. That actually happened to me."

Jace winced in sympathy. "Oh boy. When did this happen?"

"FIfth grade," replied Clary, cheeks flaming just at the thought. "It was...scarring, to say the least."

"I can imagine," said Jace. "Well, the worst that's ever happened to me is forgetting my steps. I thought that was bad."

Clary shrugged. "I've done that, too. About six times."

The bell rang for class to begin. "Well, the audition is this class, right? Concert Choir?"

"Yep," Clary answered, shuddering. "Wish me luck. You see any four leaf clovers around here?"

Jace laughed. "You'll be great. I believe in you," he said with a cheesy grin.

"Yeah, you'll blow all the competition out of the water" added Simon, leaning into their conversation as they walked back into the school. Clary glared at him. "Sure." Simon knew better than anyone just how bad Clary's stage fright could get.

She and Jace walked to the choir room, where a small group of people were waiting outside for Ms. Gruyer. Simon and Isabelle split off into their respective classes. Clary couldn't help the nervous butterflies (more like pterodactyls, really) from making her feel queasy. _Maybe this time I'll throw up_ , she thought wryly. _That'll be a new one._ Despite that, her conversation with Jace took the worst of it off. He was good at making her laugh and forget the play.

Ms. Gruyer finally arrived. "Hello, everyone," she chirped. She could be overwhelmingly cheerful, but friendly nonetheless, making her one of Clary's favorite teachers. Ms. Gruyer was also familiar with Clary's stage fright, but unfortunately, she couldn't make any exceptions for her.

The auditions began; Kaelie went first (like always), and a few other people did their part before it was Clary's turn. She stood up and walked to the stage on wobbly legs, trying to make sure she didn't bump into anyone.

"Good luck," whispered Maia, the girl who went before her. She'd auditioned for the part of the stepmother.

"Thanks," Clary whispered back shakily.

Once on stage, Clary's nausea only heightened. She felt faint standing there in front of the glaring lights, and her head began to pound. From a distance, she could see Ms. Gruyer's sympathetic eyes. "You all right, there, Clary?" the teacher called.

"Fine," Clary managed to say. Her mouth felt as dry as a desert, and most of her wanted to flee off of the stage right that second. She forced herself to stay, pulling up an image of her vocal teacher's strictest and most disappointed face.

She sang the audition song first, feeling a little less shaky as she lost herself to the music. When she finished, she knew she'd nailed that part. Then came the lines, Clary's least favorite part.

 _Project_ , she told herself silently. _Act natural. Don't giggle hysterically_. Her partner, a guy named Jordan, smiled encouragingly. She pretended he was Jace, and thankfully managed to make it out alive. She even got a couple laughs after a line that was meant to be funny. Once she slunk off the stage, she felt weak with relief. She hadn't messed up terribly, and even thought that it actually went pretty well.

Back at her seat next to Jace, she smiled tremulously. "So. What'd you think?" she asked, still shaking a little from fear.

Jace grinned at her, gold eyes wide and proud. "You were great," he said. "I actually thought you were an evil stepsister."

Clary laughed, her tension and stress slowly melting away. "Thanks," she said. "Yeah, that didn't go as badly as I thought it would."

"You'll get it for sure," Jace said confidently. "Not just because you're one of the only ones who auditioned. I mean, because you were good."

"Wow, thanks," Clary said teasingly. "What a confidence booster.:"

Jace flushed. "You were really good," he said honestly.

Just then, Ms. Gruyer called the next auditioner. "Jace Herondale!"

Clary's mouth fell open. "You're doing it, too? You didn't tell me!"

Jace ducked his head. "Guess I forgot," he said weakly. "Gotta go. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," said Clary automatically. "W-what…" She'd been about to ask what part he was auditioning for, but he was gone.

He walked up to stage with confidence, nothing like how she'd gone up. Once up there, he looked completely natural, like he'd been made for the stage. Only Clary noticed the slight twitching of his fingers.

Clary couldn't focus on his performance at first, too confused. He hadn't mentioned anything about doing the play. Then she heard him start singing, and it snapped her out of her thoughts. His voice was amazing...but he wasn't singing the prince's song, which is what she'd assumed that he'd audition for. With looks and voice like that, he _should_ have auditioned for the prince. But instead, he was singing the excerpt from the part of Jon Michele. Jon Michele was a peasant in the story who tried to stage a revolution. Who also ends up with the stepsister, the girl that _she_ would hopefully play, if she remembered correctly.

He looked straight at her as he sang, like he was singing it directly to her. She felt a thrill move through her stomach; a welcome change from her previous butterflies. When his audition was over, Clary was certain he'd gotten the part. _But how?_ She wondered. _How'd he get the audition materials?_

He walked back to her, smiling uncertainly. "So?" he asked. He looked nervous.

She grinned widely. "That was great," she enthused. "You'll definitely get it."

His face eased. "So you're not mad I didn't tell you?"

Clary shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. I mean, I probably wouldn't have even remembered because I was so nervous."

Jace laughed, relief tinging his voice. "Yeah, I was pretty nervous too," he admitted.

"No way," Clary said, shaking her head. "You looked so calm up there. I wondered how that was possible. But how'd you even get the audition materials and all that?"

"Izzy mentioned that I'd done a musical before when we toured the school, and Ms. Gruyer said she was dying to get people to audition. I wasn't even sure if I'd audition or not for a while."

"What changed your mind?" Clary asked curiously. For some reason, Jace turned a little pink.

"Oh, I don't know," he said vaguely. "Just thought I'd try it out. When will we find out the results?"

Clary hid a smile. Was _she_ what changed his mind? She liked to think so...but who knew. Maybe he'd decided to do it before they even met. "They should be up tomorrow here. We can visit the choir room tomorrow morning."

"Cool," Jace said. "Can't wait."

"Alright, we're done!" announced Ms. Gruyer. "Thank you to everyone for auditioning. And remember, even if you don't get the part you wanted, everyone can help make this musical a success! This is one of my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, so I'm super excited to put this one on."

Clary smiled faintly at her enthusiasm. And now that the audition was finally over, she could enjoy the rest of the day until tomorrow, when she'd be overwhelmed with nerves to see the cast list.

The bell rang, perfectly timed. Clary scooped up her bag and stood up, Jace mirroring her. She noticed again just how much taller he was. She was short for her age, and he was definitely a bit taller than most other guys, which made their height difference even more pronounced.

"What class you have next?" Clary asked, moving towards the door. "I've got English."

Jace took out his schedule. "Uh, I've got History. Mrs. Dunstman."

Clary shuddered. "I had her second block. Good luck with that."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Thanks. See you later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you," Clary said, turning a corner and waving goodbye.

She didn't notice it, but Jace lingered in the crush of people for a few moments, looking after her with a faint smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

"How was school today?" asked Jocelyn Fairchild. Clary shrugged and dropped her backpack onto the floor, letting out a sigh. She lowered herself into a chair, watching her mother rub spices onto a chicken breast.

"It was alright, I guess," Clary answered, waiting for the inevitable question.

She didn't have to wait long. "And the play?" Jocelyn asked, a nervous expression on her face. This was the part where Clary would burst into sobs, if an audition had gone particularly badly.

Clary smiled a small smile. "It went okay," she admitted. "No throwing up, no fainting, and I only stumbled on my lines a couple times."

"That's great, honey!" Jocelyn grinned, laugh lines crinkling her eyes. She swooped over Clary and hugged her, leaving specks of thyme on her shoulder, which Clary brushed off.

"Yeah, I was relieved," Clary said. She leaned back in her chair. "I thought for sure I was gonna faint, but I just managed to stay sane, somehow." She laughed a little.

"I'm so proud," Jocelyn said lovingly. "My little superstar."

Clary rolled her eyes. "I didn't even audition for Cinderella," she pointed out. "I'm not going to be the star of the show."

Jocelyn waved a hand carelessly. "You're a star in _my_ eyes."

Clary groaned at the cheesy line, but smiled nonetheless. Jocelyn more than made up the role of parent, despite the absence of her father. Clary knew she was lucky; her mother didn't try to control her the way Simon's mother did, but never neglected her.

"So, anything else interesting happen?" her mother asked, smiling. Clary hesitated for a split second before she returned the smile.

"No, not really," she answered, shrugging. "Same old, same old. Mr. Garroway passed back our English tests. I got a 95."

Jocelyn froze momentarily at the name, then carried the chicken to the oven. "Oh, that's great, honey," she said, her easy smile returning. Clary pretended not to notice her mother's reaction, but it had been kind of obvious since forever that her mother liked her teacher. And Clary had a feeling it was mutual. She wasn't sure what to think of it (her single mom, who'd never dated anyone, with her _English teacher_?) but she decided to put it out of her mind for now. She had homework to worry about.

That homework was quickly forgotten, however, when text messages from two different unknown numbers appeared on her phone. Clary frowned at the screen, because she didn't remember giving her phone number to anyone. Not many people really knew her number, anyways, since she mostly just hung out with Simon. She breathed a mini sigh of relief when she read the messages, though. No stalkers were coming after her today-it was just Jace and Isabelle.

 _How'd you get my number?_ she texted back to Jace.

 _Izzy_ , he replied. _I think she got it from Simon._ Clary grinned to herself.

 _Can you come help me w history?_ Isabelle texted. _This class is rly diff from my old one_.

Clary paused. Was she asking her over to her house? True, she lived literally right next door, but still. She'd never gone to anyone's house except Simon, minus a few disastrous playdates when she was younger. Definitely not to someone she'd just met a few days before.

 _Izzy's cooking. Come save me,_ Jace texted. Clary wondered if they both agreed to invite her over.

Clary laughed to herself. _Are your parents okay w that?_ she typed, replying to Isabelle.

 _It's fine. They're not here rn, Alec is taking care of us_.

 _Okay,_ she replied. _Just a few min, I need to get my stuff._

A smiley face popped up in response to that.

"I'm heading next door," Clary yelled to her mother, hoping that Jocelyn wouldn't mind or stop her. Unfortunately, just as she was stepping out, her mother came hurrying down the stairs.

"You just reminded me, I haven't met the new neighbors yet," Jocelyn said, slipping her sandals on. Clary groaned internally. "Are they nice? Anyone your age?"

Clary pasted on a weak smile. "You don't have to go over now. I mean, we just got back from school. And yes, two of them are my age. Isabelle and Jace."

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Is Jace the one who visited our porch the other day?"

Clary blushed. So her mother had noticed. "Yeah," she said, trying to will her face back into a normal color. "They're nice, I guess. They invited me over to work on homework." She left out the part about how it was really only Jace who had invited her.

"Well, then I should go over with you and see who they are, at least," Jocelyn said. "Who knows if they're serial killers or something?" She grinned, eyeing Clary carefully. "You don't mind, right?"

"Of course not," Clary lied, biting her lip. She prayed that her mother wouldn't say or do anything to embarrass her, and the two walked over the house next door.

The door was opened by a young boy who looked around 9. Clary hadn't seen him before. "Hi," she said nervously. "I'm Clary."

"I'm Jocelyn," her mother added, smiling warmly at the boy. "We're your new neighbors."

"I'm Max," said the boy, ducking his head shyly. He turned around. "Clary's here," he yelled into the house.

"Hey, Clary," Isabelle shouted back faintly from somewhere in the house. "Jace, leave me alone and go!"

Jace came striding through the hallway, smiling. Clary's heart skipped a beat, and she prayed that her fair skin wouldn't give away to her mother. "Come in," he said easily. "Sorry, I don't think we've met." He turned to Clary's mother, holding a hand.

Jocelyn shook his head. "I'm Jocelyn, Clary's mother. Just wanted to introduce myself and make sure my daughter was okay. Are your parents home?"

Clary grimaced. She wasn't ten years old anymore. Catching Clary's expression, Jace grinned. "No, my parents aren't home right now. They went out shopping. Izzy and Alec are in charge. Do you want to meet them right now?"

Jocelyn waved a hand. "That's okay. I need to get back to my painting anyways. I'm sure you're all very capable." She gave Clary a stern look as she stepped down the porch stairs and turned towards back toward their house. "No funny business, alright?"

Clary groaned. "Uh-huh."

When she turned back to Jace's house, he was looking after Jocelyn with a faint smile. Then he glanced down at Clary. "Your mom is nice."

Clary knew she must be bright red. "She's embarrassing," she grumbled. "Never trusts anyone."

"Well, come in," Jace said, placing a hand on her back. "Come have some of Izzy's _delicious_ noodles."

The door swung shut and Clary dropped her bag on the floor. Jace turned and headed back into the hallway he'd first come through, beckoning her with a hand. Clary hesitated momentarily, then followed him through.

Their house had a similar structure to her own (probably built by the same architects and blueprint). Clary padded through, noting the adorable baby pictures and family pictures hung on the wall. She paused near the entrance to the kitchen, gazing at a picture of a gap-toothed younger Jace, who was glaring at Isabelle. Isabelle was smiling at the camera (she looked like a born model), hugging Max. Another boy whom Clary assumed was Alec stood behind all of them.

"Aw, you guys look so cute," Clary said, pointing at the picture.

"Yeah, what happened, right?" Isabelle said, walking past wielding a large spatula. Clary laughed, then smelled smoke.

"Is something burning?" she asked, eyeing Isabelle uncertainly.

Jace chuckled. "See, even Clary can see that you're a terrible cook," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up," Isabelle retorted, waving the spatula threateningly. "I just forgot to turn off the oven, is all."

"You'd think that with this happening four times before, you'd eventually remember," teased an older guy, entering the kitchen and opening the fridge. He paused when he saw Clary. "Who's this?"

"Clary," answered Isabelle. "She's one of our new neighbors. And in some of my classes."

"Hey," Clary said, smiling uncertainly.

Alec grabbed a soda. "Nice to meet you," he said, nodding. Then he escaped out to the dining room.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "He's not very sociable or good at talking to people," she confided to Clary.

"I heard that," Alec called over his shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be doing homework or something, instead of poisoning our new neighbor?"

Isabelle let out an audible sigh. "I'll get to that...eventually."

Eventually she did get bored of stirring overcooked noodles around, so Isabelle told Clary to get her books and the two girls spread out on the kitchen table. A few minutes later, Jace joined them as well. It turned out that their old school had taught history pretty differently, so Clary had to spend an hour giving them a brief recap of the stuff they needed to know.

"You're so smart," Isabelle said admiringly. "How do you remember all of this?"

"I've already forgot most of it," Jace agreed, popping a grape in his mouth. Isabelle hit him on the shoulder with a pencil. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, looking wounded. She shrugged.

When the homework session ended, punctuated by frequent breaks and snacks, Clary was surprised to find that she'd enjoyed it, and gotten all of her work done. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually had fun doing homework, but the Herondales made her laugh with their sibling rivalries and silly acronyms to help memorization. Not for the first time, Clary envied their relationship and wished for a sister or brother.

It didn't hurt that she'd gotten to sneak plenty glances at Jace. She'd noticed that sometimes at school, his face would close down or look guarded. But here in his kitchen, he looked perfectly happy and at ease. She liked that she seemed to fit in with this other family. It was funny, that she'd just met them but somehow felt comfortable. Clary had always been pretty shy, but some of that seemed to disappear around Isabelle and Jace. Clary bent to pick up her books reluctantly at 6:30, knowing her mom was probably expecting her for dinner.

The siblings walked her to the door. "We should do this again," Isabelle said, smiling.

"You got Isabelle to stop cooking and to focus on the Cold War," added Jace. "That's the kind of miracle I need to stay sane."

Clary giggled while Isabelle smacked him. "Like you were sane to start with," she mocked.

"This was really fun," Clary agreed. "And I did actually get my work done."

"Again tomorrow, then?" Isabelle asked. There was a hint of nervousness in her eyes, something that surprised Clary. Clary hadn't thought that Isabelle would be nervous about anything, but she suddenly realized that Isabelle was still a new kid in school, who didn't have any friends yet. That thought was strange-someone so put together as Isabelle shouldn't have been put in the same category as Clary in anything, least of all social anxiety. Clary grinned. It felt nice to be wanted. "Definitely," she said. "See ya tomorrow."


End file.
